The Best of Friends
by FollowingTheWind
Summary: All you ever wanted was a best friend, and now you're stuck with some stupid kid who has no idea what he's doing. Pikachu's POV. A look into how Pikachu came to trust Ash.


**DISCLAIMER:** Sadly, I do not own Pokémon. Or Pikachu. How I_ wish_ I owned Pikachu. I love Pikachu. But sadly, he is not mine. So don't make that mistake. This story follows the main plot of the episode "Pokémon - I Choose You!" I don't own that either.

**WARNING:** This story spoils the plot for the first episode of the Pokémon anime, owned by Satoshi Tajiri and probably some other really important people. While I am completely confused as to why you might not have seen the _very first episode ever_ and are still sorting through fics about the anime, be warned in case for some reason you haven't, because it will totally ruin that for you. There may also be lines stolen from the 4Kids dub. Which I do not own, but I think we've covered that.

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><p><strong>The Best of Friends<strong>

When you grow up small and wild, it can be hard to find someone who truly understands you. You are always searching for that one person who will comprehend every word you utter and every feeling you emanate – the one mothers whisper to their children about during bedtime stories and nursery rhymes. Constantly, you strive to find that someone – anyone – to know and grow with, that will love and care for you, and to be the best friend you never had.

Despite how hard you strive to find the friend you so wish to find, when you try you are only attacked; driven away from what may be your last chance to find your friend. The struggle continues nearly every day. Your ears prick as you hear the subtle sound of footsteps in the forest.

Excited, you rush out onto the path and hope to be greeted with something along the lines of "Hello, would you like to be friends?" or even a "Hey there, little guy," despite your resentment of being called anything related to the words "small" or "weak." But alas, it is always the same cry of "Hey, I think I'll catch you!" Then you are attacked, threatened by your opponent, and you run off. On a normal occasion, you would never have backed down, but for some reason, your instincts always tell you to run in such instances, and you _always_ listen to your instincts.

No matter how many times you truly try your best to just make a friend, it never works out. Day in, day out, the pattern continues. You feel as if this pit of loneliness and constant need to run away will carry on forever, and your true friend will never come.

Then, the day arrives when you think you may truly have found your friend. You see a man; he appears to be looking for something. He is old, but not so old that he appears weak and brittle. He doesn't seem as if he could hurt the grass as he walks upon it. You tilt your head as you wonder, _Could he be the one I'm looking for?_

Slowly, but surely, you reveal yourself, and he spots you. "Why, hello there!" he calls.

You are surprised. He doesn't sound threatening at all. He sounds… friendly. You take a cautious step towards him. Your ears are twitching nervously. How can you be sure you can trust him? No. You shake your head. You know he will not hurt you.

You watch as he places something on the ground. Is that a… apple? You are overjoyed, as apples are your favorite. Scampering over to the delectable fruit, you don't even notice as the man pulls a red and white sphere from his pocket.

He kneels down to become eye-level with you and smiles warmly. "Do you like apples, fellow?"

You give a cry of joy as you chomp down on your favorite food. Deciding you like this man, you don't think any harm could come from trusting him. Swallowing the rest of the apple, you look up at him. He smiles at you, wrinkles scrunching up at the corners of his eyes and making him look older and wiser than before.

"Would you like to come with me?" he asks, "You see, I know a young boy who is going to need you someday."

You are confused by his strange speech. Why would someone need you? And if they need you so badly, why would they not come to get you, rather than this old man? You tilt your head as you ponder this.

Then you notice the ball. You have seen other people passing through the forest carry around them before. They used them to summon their beasts – the beasts that attacked you and forced you to run away in fear. The man brings it forth, holding it front of you. You begin to cower and quake in fear. Wasn't this man your friend? Why would he attack you?

"Don't be afraid," he consoles, "This is a Poké Ball. It will keep you safe and allow me to take you back home."

What? He wants to put you _inside_? You take a step back. You aren't as sure about trusting this man anymore.

"It will be alright," he tries to convince you once more, "Look, I even had one made special just for you. See this little lightning bolt here?"

You still are not sure. If he puts you into this _Poké Ball_, as he called it, will that mean you will be summoned to fight, like those others you saw before? Sure, you were always keen on practicing your ThunderShock, practicing to be stronger and stronger, but you would never use it to hurt someone for a good reason. Perhaps you should try using it now?

No. No, you couldn't hurt this man, for he is too kind. He does not seem like the type to use you for ill purposes. Cautiously, you take a step forward, back to the man and his Poké Ball, silently agreeing to let him catch you.

Once inside, you find yourself even more frightened. You didn't think it would be so dark. Nor did you think it would be this cramped. You hope you will be let out soon. Poké Balls do not seem to be in your liking. You take a mental note to never allow yourself to be put in one again, unless somehow you can find a way to actually enjoy the constant claustrophobia that comes with it.

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><p>You are not sure how long you wait, but you decide it has been far too long since you were placed inside. You want out. If only you knew how to open it. Your anxiety grows until suddenly, there is a light. You find yourself out of that wretched ball and blink a few times to adjust your eyes. <em>Ah, finally<em>.

Looking around at your surroundings, you see you are no longer in the forest, but instead you find yourself in a strange room filled with mechanical human contraptions. You see the man from the woods standing a bit off to the side of a young boy right in front of you. His messy black hair and wrinkled clothes make it look as if he just woke up, and for all you know, he just might have.

"Its name is Pikachu," the old man says to the boy.

"Oh!" the boy exclaims, his brown eyes twinkling with excitement, "It's so cute, it's the best of all!"

That comment irritates you. _Cute?_ Then he reaches for you and picks you up; a big mistake. _Who does this kid think he is?_

"You'll see," warns the man, but the kid seems to ignore him.

"Hi, Pikachu!" he says, and with that you release an angry ThunderShock. You can hear the man explain to the boy about your species over the boy's screams.

This boy is foolish. You wonder who he is and why he's here. The man hands him some Poké Balls and what he calls a "Pokédex." Wait a minute. Is that… _your_ Poké Ball? You aren't expected to go along with this kid, are you? Upon this realization, you release yet another ThunderShock. You cannot go with this kid; the old man is supposed to be your best friend… right?

The two humans begin to walk out the doors, and the boy is still holding you in his arms. Once outside, they begin to walk down a long path leading to the bottom of a hill. There appears to be a crowd of people at the end of the drive. Curiously, you peer at the people as the boy sets you back down on the ground.

"Mom?"

"Oh, Ash, I'm so proud of you," a woman, who you assume to be the boy's mother, near the front of the group begins to say, but you don't really listen. She called him "Ash," you realize, that must be his name.

You smirk. The woman seems to be embarrassing this Ash kid now. Then, she looks down and notices you. "That's your Pokémon?"

You utter your name as the Ash says to his mother, "Yup, that's my Pokémon."

_His _Pokémon? What makes him think he has the right to call you _his_ Pokémon? You turn away indignantly as the boy chuckles embarrassedly. You hear him claim something about how he will catch all the Pokémon in the world with you by his side. _Pfft, yeah right, kid._

Suddenly, his mother says something about all Pokémon staying inside their Poké Balls, and Ash attempts to get you back in. Of course, you refuse and simply push the ball away. He keeps trying but each time you just knock it back.

His mother seems convinced that the two of you are friends already, and you are taken aback. _Us, friends?_ You are truly irked when the boy lifts you up and claims that you and he are "real pals." Despite your lifelong search for a best friend to understand you, you certainly do _not_ want to be friends with _him_. Of all people, you are sure this is the worst person you could have possibly been stuck with.

"But… it's a little weird," says Ash's mother.

Now _that_ is going too far. You are infuriated. That is obvious to the crowd before you as you release yet another irritated ThunderShock. The old man says something to Ash about rubber not conducting electricity, and the boy says he will keep that in mind.

Once you finish off your shocking and the crowd falls to the ground, Ash totes you back through the streets. He points out buildings and various grassy meadows to you. He grew up here in Pallet Town, he tells you, and now he is finally leaving on his Pokémon journey. He says that one day he – Ash Ketchum – will one day become the world's greatest Pokémon Master.

He says you are his very first Pokémon, given to him today by Professor Oak – who you assume must be the old man – himself. Apparently, the professor is world-renowned Pokémon researcher. The boy continues telling you his life story incessantly, from his hated rival Gary Oak to his beloved mother whom he isn't sure will be okay without him.

After what seems like an eternity, you arrive at the boy's house. He runs upstairs to change his clothes and gather his belongings while you wait in the kitchen. His mother places a bowl of brown pellets on the table, saying they are for you. Cautiously, you hop up and taste it. Surprisingly, it's good. You decide that just because you don't like her son, doesn't mean you can't like Mrs. Ketchum.

"C'mon Pikachu; it's time to go now!" Ash, now garbed in trainer clothes and a hat, shouts excitedly.

You turn away from him with an indifferent "Pika." Footsteps sound closer to the table and Ash sighs exasperatedly. You look over your shoulder to see him standing behind you, a pleading look in his eyes.

"Please Pikachu. Don't be like this."

Then goes to pick you up, but backs off seeing your glare and the threatening sparks jumping from your cheeks. He sighs as he slips on some pink rubber gloves and ties a rope around your middle. Running away at this point may prove to be difficult.

The two of you trudge on away from Pallet Town in silence, Ash dragging you along as you dig your heels into the ground. You don't want to leave; you don't like this boy. You want to go back to the forest. Perhaps you never were truly meant to find a best friend, for how can you with this lug around?

Suddenly, Ash stops with a despondent sigh and turns to you. "Pikachu, are you gonna be like this… the _whole_ way?"

You turn away. "Pi."

He crouches down to your level. "Is it because you don't like me?"

Nodding, you reply, "Pika Pika."

"Well, I like you a lot." You scratch your ear uninterestedly. "And since I'm your trainer, don't you think you could be a little nicer and just open your mouth and tell me what's wrong?"

"Chaaa!"

"Uh… That's not exactly… what I meant," he says as he stares into your now wide open mouth, "Is your name all you can say?"

"Pika," you nod.

"Well then, you're just like all Pokémon and you should act like one and get inside the Poké Ball. Just like the Pokédex says." And with that he whips out the red device Professor Oak gave him and listens to it explain Poké Balls in its monotone voice.

After hearing the machine say that most Pokémon _do_ stay in their Poké Balls while being trained, he turns to you with a smug smile and gloats that he was correct. Not accepting the answer, you jump and hit another button.

"_However, there are many exceptions. Some Pokémon hate being confined."_

Now smirking to yourself, you expect Ash to be upset about this new revelation. That confident mood, however, is replaced by confusion when he smiles and replaces his Pokédex in the pocket of his jacket.

"Okay then," he leans down to fumble with the rope tied around you, "This ought to make things better," then he pulls off the rubber gloves, "And I'll get rid of these."

As both items clatter to the ground, he holds out a finger to you. "How's that?" You still refuse to accept him. "Still not good enough?" he asks disappointingly. _Nope._ He sighs.

Both of you turn when you hear soft footsteps ahead. A Pidgey is casually pecking at the ground a few paces away. After scanning it with his Pokédex, Ash gets excited and turns to you, eager to make his first capture.

"Chu."

"Aren't you ever going to listen to me?"

"Chu."

"But why not?"

Instead of responding, you instead run towards a tree and leap up to sit on one of the branches. You yawn.

"Okay, I get the message," Ash shouts, "I don't want your help or need it. I can get that thing all by myself!"

You raise your eyebrows; this will be interesting. Ash throws a Poké Ball at the unsuspecting Pidgey, only for it to escape a second later. You can't help but to laugh as the Pokédex explains that you usually use your own Pokémon to weaken the target first.

Ash huffs indignantly, for he must do this alone. You watch for a while, laughing as he fails miserably and as his Pokédex seems to insult him rather than assist him. Soon, though, his idiotic mistakes lead the two of you to being chased by a flock of angry Spearow. When the pecks become too much, you feel faint and Ash scoops you into his arms as you slip into unconsciousness.

A few minutes later, you awake to voices, but keep your eyes shut. Your mind registers that you are wet; stupid boy must have jumped into the river. Listening to the voices, you recognize his voice, but there is another one now. It's higher and sounds angry. Suddenly, Ash shouts that the Spearow are coming and you can feel him rush away from the second voice, placing you into some sort of basket. As you feel the object begin to jostle and move, you hear the second voice cry out furiously, "That's my bike!"

You can hear Ash answer the voice, but you are too distant to make notice. Soon, rain rolls in and your Electric-type body senses lightning in the clouds. But, thus, the bike seems to have hit a bump in the road, and you are thrown from the basket.

The rain pours down around you, soaking through your yellow fur. You can see Ash on the ground nearby and the abandoned orange bike lying on its side a few feet away. Panic fills the boy's eyes as the Spearow once again can be heard. He takes out a Poké Ball – your Poké Ball – and says you will be safe inside as he places it on the ground beside you. Your eyes wander back to the boy. You see him stand up, facing the incoming Spearow. He yells at them, urging them on.

But why? You made it clear you did not want to be any part of him. Yet now, he is preparing to take on a dangerous flock of wild Spearow, just so you may have the chance to escape. Ash is risking his life… for you.

And in this moment, you realize, he _cares_. You are touched. Your heart warms, and then darkens. He could _die_ if you don't do something. You must save him before the Spearow reach him.

You make up your mind. Yes, you must do this. Adrenaline courses through your veins as you stand up and bound toward the foolish boy. You leap up his back and over his shoulder. From the corner of your eye you see him gawk at you, surprised. With a mighty cry, you leap into the air just as a lightning bolt cracks the sky and powers you as you release your most powerful ThunderShock yet. The last things you hear are the frightened squawks of the Spearow around you.

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><p>Slowly, you open your eyes and see Ash do the same. You are both pretty beat-up looking, as well as that bike you were riding earlier. The boy smiles weakly at you.<p>

"We did it, Pikachu…"

"Pi," you reply with a small nod.

Both of you look up as you notice something fly across the sky. It is surrounded in a golden aura and beats its wings majestically. It looks like a creature your mother would have told you about in stories when you were a young Pichu. The Pokédex drones about how there are still some Pokémon out there that have yet to be discovered and Ash gazes at it in wonder. You can't help but to smile at him.

He looks at you and says that he still needs to get you a doctor, especially now, and you allow him to take you into his arms. You are both charred and weak from the struggle, but he carries all the way to the city. Upon seeing the buildings, he smiles and looks down at you. Weakly, you lift your head and gingerly lick his cheek. _Thank you, Ash._ His eyes water, for he knows you have finally accepted him as your trainer. As he begins to walk down the hill towards the town, you slowly close your eyes and drift off into a well-deserved sleep, glad to finally be able to relax.

Overtime, you and Ash grow closer. The two of you become practically brothers, never leaving each others' sides. He learns what each word and phrase you utter, the most familiar being the "Pikapi" used to refer to him specifically. You know nearly all the thoughts that pass through his head. The two of you move practically in sync with each other. You would never think of leaving him behind and vice versa. Learning and growing together, people envy the closeness of your bond.

And deep inside your heart… you're happy. Ash, the clueless boy you wanted nothing to do with, has become very important in your life. He understands you, and you understand him. Now, you wouldn't change him for the world. Friends often come and go, but Ash will never leave. He isn't just your trainer or your caretaker or the person who feeds you. No, he is so much more than that.

He is your best friend.

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><p><strong>AN:** So... this was supposed to be some sort of deep look into the friendship of Ash and Pikachu. I think it really just turned out to be a summary of the first episode from Pikachu's POV but whatever. I didn't originally mean for it to turn out that way... It just sort of happened. I don't really know. I just wanted to write about Ash and Pikachu, okay? Yeah... so, uh. Reviews? Go ahead. Tell me it's a complete total fail and a rip-off of the first episode. I know. If I get sued... Whoops. I tried not to use too many direct quotes so... Cross your fingers I don't get sued! :)


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